


A Friend in Need

by Plzplz



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 19:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16562030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plzplz/pseuds/Plzplz
Summary: Poppy learns that Branch has no, uh, experience.





	A Friend in Need

"-and so I said to Suki that she just has to go for it, y'know?"

"Mmm."

"And I get why she's nervous, being with a new troll can be a lot of pressure."

"Hmm."

"But being nervous isn't a good reason to hold bac-"

"Poppy, why are you telling me any of this?"

Branch took a moment to stop breaking up the root he was excavating and gave his chatty shadow a tired look.

She ignored his lack of enthusiasm. "I'm sharing my life and stories with my friend."

"We're not-"

"We are. Anyway, I told Suki that she needs to actually put herself out there if she's ever going to-"

He turned his attention back to the root. If she had anything interesting to say, like, if she were to talk about herself at all, it might be a different story, but her friends were far from interesting to him. 

"-and I get it, like, sex is a big deal for some trolls, but-"

Branch's ears jerked and his head snapped up to her. "W-WHAT?! Don't talk to me about her- any- no! BOUNDARIES, Poppy!" He could feel his face burning, and knowing that she could probably see that as well made him even more uncomfortable.

Poppy rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand. "Oh my hair, don't YOU make this a thing."

Branch sputtered. "This is- I don't- no, Poppy, NO." He climbed out of the hole he'd dug and addressed her more directly. "Change the subject NOW or I'm leaving." He glared.

Poppy returned his glare. Both spoke tersely.

"I have to talk to SOMEBODY about this."

"You have several other friends who, I'm sure, would love this conversation. Have it with them."

"I CAN'T. Suki doesn't want anybody else knowing that she's-"

Branch exploded and threw his arms up. "Then don't tell ME anything! I don't want to know!"

Poppy rapidly changed her approach and softened her voice. "Branch, I can't be alone with this, and I was hoping that you, a very trustworthy troll, would be my confidant." She put her hand on his wrist and smiled. 

Branch withdrew his hand and growled, but said nothing. Poppy continued. Silence was usually his signal that he would cooperate.

"Thank you. Want to sit?" She patted a spot next to her and held up a flask that certainly wasn't hers. "Get some water? You're really going to town on that root. Can't let my friend get dehydrated."

Branch ignored the flask, sat a little ways away from Poppy, and muttered. "We're not friends."

"Sure, sure." She adjusted how she sat and picked up her story. "So Suki is starting to get serious with a troll, and is nervous because she's NEVER done the deed before."

Branch tried to listen, he did, but struggled to tune out his own discomfort. This was not a thing he'd ever wanted to discuss with another troll, especially not Poppy.

He was, at least in this arena, and at least as far as he knew, a perfectly normal troll. Over a decade ago, he'd smuggled a few books on troll development out of the library. (He smuggled them back in as soon as he finished them. What is there separating trolls and animals if somebody steals from a library?!)

Despite the passage of time, he remembered everything well. You don't read humiliating books and just forget the subject matter, after all. He'd flipped through diagrams, definitions, and in his opinion, far too many pop-up pages, and compared himself with the stages outlined. He'd seemed normal. His body seemed normal. His feelings and, oof, urges, seemed normal. Good. All good.

But a lot changes between adolescence and full-blown adulthood. First and foremost, pretty much everybody his age except Branch has experienced at least one relationship, and. Well. The books called it intimacy. He would leave it at that.

Poppy's voice rose in volume and interrupted his thoughts. "Hey! You're not even listening! I'm trying to bounce ideas off you here!"

Branch snapped back at her. "You talk too much, give me the bare bones of it."

She huffed. "Suki is a virgin. She WANTS to change that, but is nervous. I don't know what advice to give to make things easier for her. Got anything for me?"

Dying. He was dying. He'd RATHER be dead.

Branch clasped his hands and looked to the sky, hoping that he appeared contemplative. It would be a bonus if she couldn't see his face. He was sure that he would never be more purple than he was in this moment.

Poppy waited.

Branch began to survey the woods around them. Maybe if he waited her out, she'd solve her problem without him.

But still, she was silent.

He adjusted how he sat.

"So, do you have any ideas?"

Damn. DAMN.

He absently twiddled an ear while trying to find something, ANYTHING to say. "I mean. Uh. What would YOU say, um, to her, in this situation?"

She stood and paced. "I don't know! I know what helped ME the first time, but Suki is cut from a different, more sensitive cloth. I don't have anything in me that would be good for her. And you seem more like her as far as this would go, so I was hoping-"

Branch took immediate offense. "What's THAT supposed to mean?!"

This took Poppy by surprise. She stopped moving and looked at him with wide eyes. "What? What do YOU mean? You seem like it would be a lot more of an intimate thing for you, so tell me what helped YOU your first time."

He had nothing. NOTHING. "I- you- I can't just!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't have-"

He stopped. Nothing he could say would help her. Or him.

Maybe if he ran now, she wouldn't be able to catch up with him before he got to the bunker.

Poppy stepped towards him and chuckled. "Okay, okay, I get it, slow down." She stood in front of him. "I don't want any saucy details, just give me a few words of encouragement." She playfully punched his shoulder. "What helped young Branch get it going?"

Branch could hardly breathe. It was poetically cruel that the only troll who got him going was standing before him now, asking for just a sliver of information about his sexual past, and he couldn't even give her that.

"I-"

Poppy smiled cheekily and waited. "Yeah?"

He swallowed dryly and choked out a quiet, "I don't want to say."

Frustration colored Poppy's cheeks. "Dude, please. I'm trying to help a friend."

Branch shook his head slightly, hoping she'd back off. 

"Oh come ON, it's not a big DEAL. You're acting like this isn't a thing we all do. We're both adults, we can talk like adults."

She chuckled, and before Branch could lock down his feelings, his humiliation took the reins and he was standing and yelling.

"We do? We ALL do? I would LOVE to find out when I've been doing all of this, because as far as I know, I have zero friends and even fewer- ah- uh-"

As rapidly as it came over him, his anger washed away, replaced by horror. Oh no.

He looked at Poppy. She stared at him, mouth agape.

She knew.

She KNEW.

His brain began repeating what he assumed was supposed to be a comforting line of "it's not a big deal," but damn, maybe screaming at somebody over one's own lack of a sex life is a big deal.

Poppy clicked her jaw shut. She looked down from his face, suddenly unable to hold eye contact.

"Um, sorry. I didn't- I didn't think about what I was asking. Sorry."

Branch stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. He hoped he looked less small than he felt. "It's. It's fine. It's nothing."

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Poppy's natural inability to respect his boundaries kicked in. "So like. Is it a gray thing?"

"Huh?"

"Your- uh- does being gray- is that why? Are you not able-"

Branch cut her off. "Being gray only affects whether or not other trolls want anything to do with me. I'm n- normal."

He'd been wrong earlier. He was definitely more purple now than he used to be.

Poppy kicked at a clump of wet dirt. Branch could tell that she was dying to know more. He growled, remembering her saying she didn't want any saucy details. It certainly didn't seem that way now.

"So, you just have never had the opportunity?"

Of all the times for disaster to not strike and end him, this was probably the worst time. Why no bergens? Why no spiders? Why no fiery comet to crush him? 

"I'm going home." He turned on his heel and ran. He could hear Poppy calling after him and sped up. First she'd tell him to stop, then she would start chasing him. This interaction needed to be over, there would be no stopping. 

\-----------

Poppy watched Branch run off and almost chased after him, but decided to give him space. He needed it.

She sat down in a small crook between two roots, needing a few minutes to process everything.

Her intention today had been to tease him a bit, for sure, but she thought it would be a good way learn a little more about him and strengthen their friendship.

And honestly, she really did think he'd had a few partners. For as grouchy and wild as he was, it couldn't completely hide the fact that he was a fairly handsome troll. She'd tittered with friends about it before, and knew of a handful of folks who nursed little crushes on him. 

But for him to have done, what, nothing? NOTHING? No teenage experimenting? No quiet arrangement anywhere? Poppy was honestly shocked.

A cloud passed over her and the air cooled. Poppy rubbed her arms and decided to head back to the village. She could think more on this later, but right now, she still had to manufacture a pep talk for Suki.

\--------

It was late and the moon was high when Poppy stumbled into her pod. She hadn't been able to find delicate words, so instead, she rounded up several strong drinks and took them to Suki's pod. The pair got thoroughly drunk, which made it easier and a lot more fun for Suki to hear Poppy talk about the ins and outs, ha HA, of taking the caterbus to bangtown.

Poppy loved Suki, but really didn't want to sleep on her floor. Her pod was, well. Less clean than Poppy's. And most other trolls' pods. Suki had many great qualities, but housekeeping wasn't one of her strengths.

And so Poppy bid her goodnight and came home, laughing the whole way. She hoped Suki would share details with her when she took that step. First time stories were always a great mix of exhilarating and embarrassing. 

Now home and alone, she turned her thoughts to another troll.

"How does he look that good, and be that old, and still not have had twisty time with anybody?" She flopped onto her couch and closed her eyes, trying to see him in a tender light.

She imagined him standing in front of her, scowling. "Well that right there is why you don't get any, duh..." 

She gave him a bright smile. Already a big improvement. 

She made his smile more sultry. Oh... yes. That. Yes to that. He might never smile that way, but her imagination wasn't hurting anyone.

Poppy moved on and considered his body, taking a deep breath. Every time she'd been able to hug him, she'd been surprised at how firm he was. He had a stout, but muscular build. No showy muscles like some trolls worked on in the gym, his body was the product of years of hard physical labor.

She exhaled. THAT... oof. She imagined running her hand down his chest, down over his belly, and stopping at his pants. She could almost hear the sharp breath he might take if she touched him like that.

How? HOW had he not... 

Poppy laid down and let her imagination run wild. She could almost feel his large hands running up her legs and grabbing her waist. She squirmed at the thought of his hot breath on her neck, and imagined what sounds he might make if he were to grind into her.

She planted a foot on a cushion and rocked her hips, enthusiastically matching the pace of her imaginary partner. She tickled a hand up her belly and bit her lip, almost knowing how it would feel if rougher fingers danced up her ribs. She wound the other hand into her hair and gave it a hard yank, pulling her head to the side, opening up her neck for a thick, purple tongue to lick.

As one hand traveled down her body, Poppy made a decision to see Branch first thing in the morning. She couldn't bear to not help a friend in need, and she hoped he would feel the same way.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still writing heat wave, I promise! This was just stuck in my head, but now it's out.


End file.
